England’s Phil Foden dilemma: How does Gareth Southgate get the best out of Man City’s star boy?

Foden has got the recognition he deserves this season with City after being on the fringes of the team when they won the treble the previous year. But he is yet to produce the same magic for England or even play a big role for Southgate’s since making his debut in 2020.

Foden was tipped to be one of the stars of the rescheduled European Championship in 2021 and bleached his hair blonde ahead of the tournament in a tribute to Paul Gascoigne. But he had a frustrating time, featuring little in the Three Lions’ run to the final.

He started the opening games against Croatia and Scotland, but was stunted on the right of England’s attack, and after the 0-0 draw against the Tartan Army he lost his place in the team to Bukayo Saka and then Jadon Sancho. He only featured once more, as a substitute in extra-time in the semi-final against Denmark. He injured his foot in that game and was ruled out for the final against Italy.

It was the other way round at the World Cup in Qatar, when Foden was benched for the first two games but then played his way into the team. He scored in the 3-0 win against Wales and did well in the last-16 victory over Senegal, but was quiet in quarter-final the defeat by France.

Foden then started just three of England’s eight Euro 2024 qualifiers, losing his place to Saka or his City team-mate Jack Grealish. Since establishing himself as one of City’s best players early last season, however, he has become one of the first names on Southgate’s England teamsheet, starting in the last five matches.

He is, therefore, as assured of his place in the team as any other attacker. But where he will deployed is set to dominate the conversation before the tournament starts, and could even drag on throughout it.

Until Foden reinvented himself as a midfielder this season, Southgate mostly mimicked Guardiola’s deployment of him as a wide forward, predominantly playing him on the left of a front three, but also on the right. Foden’s transition from a wide forward into midfield had been a long time in the making, however, and had been predicted due to Grealish’s impressive form last season, which led to him locking down the role Foden used to occupy.

But Foden was fast-tracked into a more central role when Kevin De Bruyne tore his hamstring at the start of the season and faced five months out. Foden, who in that period mostly played on the right of a three-man attack behind Erling Haaland in a 4-2-3-1 shape, was tasked with being City’s main playmaker and thrived in the role, dictating his side’s play and putting in dominant performances.

He was productive in attack, posting six goals and five assists in the first four months, but his main quality was pulling City’s strings. It was only when De Bruyne returned to the team in January that Foden truly realised his goal-scoring potential, striking 18 times in the final five months of the season while chipping in with four assists.

During the title run-in, he tended to play on the right of a four-man midfield, but had licence to drift inside, repeatedly scoring what would become his trademark goal, cutting back across the pitch and pinging the ball into the far corner of the net.

Discussion about Foden’s role for England heated up ahead of the Euro 2024 qualifiers back in September, provoked by his impressive start for City in De Bruyne’s absence. Foden had declared his ambition to keep playing in the middle after dominating Newcastle in August.

“That’s my favourite, that’s where I feel comfortable. I felt alive in that game, I felt myself more and I could get on the ball and do things,” he said. “That’s always been me as a player and hopefully I can keep playing there and show people what I can do… It is a position I can handle. There’s a lot of responsibility, it’s not just about going forward. You have to know what you’re doing defensively and know who is around you.”

The media’s desire to see Foden play more centrally for England, however, seemed to irk the normally level-headed Southgate. When asked why Foden was not deployed in midfield, the manager barked back: “He doesn’t play there for his club, so presumably there’s a reason for that. It depends on the level of the game really. You’d have to speak with Pep Guardiola, the best coach in the world, who plays him from wide.”

Southgate was criticised for that response, but his answer had some logic. He also said: “In the middle of the park, everyone wants to talk about when you are with the ball, but there is a lot of detail without the ball and games where you have to be spot on with pressing angles. If you don’t, you don’t get the flow of the game.”

And he is right that Guardiola tended to prefer Foden to play wider than through the middle in the biggest games, when the Catalan played Mateo Kovacic in front of Rodri to give City more control in midfield.

Speaking in May, Southgate was more diplomatic when discussing Foden. “The key with Phil is where he ends up, not his starting position,” he said. “He’s been allowed to drift for Manchester City. It’s where these players arrive and where they are allowed to drift to. We never pin these forwards to the touchline. There is this freedom. He has stepped up in big games, you want him in those central areas.”

The England boss now has what you might call a luxury problem, as Foden’s desire to play more centrally as a No.10 comes at a time when Jude Bellingham has developed into one of the best attacking midfielders in the world.

The Real Madrid star’s numbers are eerily similar to Foden’s, scoring 24 times in all competitions compared to the City man’s 27. Bellingham contributed 12 assists, the same as Foden. And the boy from Birmingham also won the title while being named La Liga’s Player of the Season.

Even given Foden’s remarkable form, Bellingham is the de-facto leader of this England team and will get freer reign than his City counterpart in Germany as the team’s No.10. Foden will be aware of that and will likely continue to start on the left, as Saka is pretty much immovable on the right.

Saka’s fitness struggles, a consequence of him playing practically every game for Arsenal even when shaking off a knock, could see him rested occasionally, offering Foden the chance to play there instead and drift inside as he loves to do and cut on to his left foot.

An alternative option is to mimic Guardiola’s tactics and play Declan Rice as the sole holding midfielder in a 4-1-4-1, as Rodri was for City for much of the season. This formation would leave Bellingham as the No.10 and Foden as the No.8 next to Saka, trying to replicate the partnership Foden struck up with De Bruyne.

It is an exciting option, especially in the pre-tournament friendlies at home to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland, and in England’s tournament opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen. However, Southgate is unlikely to go for it as it would go against his protectionist instincts.

The manager has taken England to a Euros final and a World Cup semi-final largely because he has made them so hard to beat. The double pivot of two holding midfielders has been a consistent feature of his sides and he would have to break it up were he to accommodate Foden in a 4-1-4-1.

Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice provided the platform to solidity at Euro 2020, while Bellingham played with Rice in the pivot in the opener against Iran at the 2022 World Cup before shifting forward, with Jordan Henderson taking his place.

Henderson’s exclusion from the Euro 2024 squad opens up the slot next to Rice, which is set to be taken by Kobbie Mainoo, although Conor Gallagher and Trent Alexander-Arnold will provide strong competition.

A more radical approach would be to field Bellingham and Foden together in a midfield three and play Grealish on the left of the front three next to Saka and Harry Kane. And that could be the most effective solution of all.

Grealish has had a hugely disappointing season after being a crucial part of City’s treble win, starting just 10 Premier League games. But he remains a vital player on a tactical level due to his ability to hold the ball up and allow the team to reset and attack. He also contributes more defensively than Foden when he is out on the left.

Grealish’s defensive qualities could become especially valuable if, as feared, Luke Shaw does not recover in time from the muscle problems which plagued his season with Manchester United. Shaw’s likely absence would force Southgate to deploy Kieran Trippier on his weaker left side, leaving England more exposed down that flank. Grealish’s ability to keep the ball and draw fouls would minimise that threat and could get the best out of Foden.

Southgate goes into the tournament with perhaps the most talented squad England have ever had, and finding a way to fit all the star players in is a problem any manager would love to have. But making sure Foden is comfortable and can perform at his highest level should be his top priority.

It is soon to be five years since Guardiola declared that Foden was the most talented player he had ever worked with, and this season his words were finally vindicated. Now it’s up to Southgate to get him to repeat the magic he weaves for City for his country.